Sunken vessels



A. WINDHAM. APPARATUS. FOR RAISIN G SUNKEN VESSBLS.

No. 21,532. Patented Sept. 14, 1858.

FEE the .mmlnA d/iiwessas 24 uniran Pager-I1. oFFIoE.

ALDRIDGE VVINHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING- SUNKEN VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,532, dated September 14, 1858.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALDRIDGE VINI-IAM, of thecity, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulmethod of Raising Sunken Vessels; and I hereby declare that thefollowing specification, in connection with the accompanying drawingsand references thereon, constitute a lucid, clear, and exact descriptionof the manner of constructing and of carrying out the same.

In referring to said drawings, Figure 1, denotes a, plan of a vesselwith my raisers over it. Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3,an end elevation of the same. Fig. 4, a longitudinal section of therigid portion of my raiser. Fig. 5, a planof the same with the topremoved. Figs. 6 and 7, transverse sections of the same. Figs. 8 and 9,a side and end view of an inflatable air vessel, or buoy which may beattached to a ship after it is raised to keep it afloat. Fig. 10,denotes a section of a vessel, and of my elast'ic inflatable stopperapplied thereto ready for raising.

lnven'ti0n.The nature of my invention consists in the hereinafterdescribed construction, arrangement and combination of the rigidmetallic and elastic inflatable air vessels together constituting theraiser when so united, and so small as to be conveniently carried by anyvessel which they can raise, as hereinafter described. Also, inproviding the vessels with portable lifting shoes, so constructed as tobe applicable to different sized ships; and to receive the liftingcable, and protect the vessel from its otherwise injurious abrasiveforce and at the same time be constructed of such proportions of woodand iron, or otherwise, as to be suiiiciently buoyant as to be easilymanageable under water, by one person as hereinafter described. Also, inthe construction and application of an inflatable elastic stopper, soconstructed that it may be thrust through an opening or leak and then beinflated with air, by which it is enlarged both without and within, thevessel or leak; while that portion of it passing through the opening inthe vessel exactly conjoins by its inflation, thereto, regular orirregular, and constituting a self adjustable elastic rivet, instantlyformed within the leak by inflation, as hereinafter seen.

Construction.-To enable persons skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains,

to construct and carry out the same, I will describe it as follows. Iconstruct the rigid portion of my raiser seen at A, of metal, watertight, and of great strength braced with open partitions seen at (Z,Fig-s. 4, 5, 6 and 7, and openings at '6, same figures, in order toallow all the apartments a, Figs. 4: and 5, to be made use of. The tophas an opening or tube 0, to which a flexible tube E, may be secured,and a guard rail H, Figs. 2 and 3, quite around it.

In the bottom of A, I fit a self acting valve F, the inlets being seenat L, Figs. 4;, and 7, and the inlets from outside of A, to valve F, areseen at J, Figs. 2 and 7, a rod 7, Figs. 1, 2, 4E and 7, connects to thevalve F, and passes air tight through the top of A, up to the surface ofthe water, and to the operator, by which the valve can be allowed toclose, when the raiser is filled with water and sunk. The plate 72., andsocket 6, guides the valve, and the spring g, closes it when allowed toby the operator.

I construct the elastic air vessel inflatable, seen at B, Figs. 2 and 8,of any suitable substance highly flexible and impervious to water orair, and surround it with a netting of tarred rope, seen in drawing (bychecked lines), of great strength and of the extreme expansive size ofB. This air vessel so constructed, is to be secured or joined to A, byany efficient means such as ring bolts or ropes or perforations may bemade in bottom edge of A, through which the tarred rope network may beput, to lash B to A, firmly. B, when the air is exhausted from it, foldsreadily into the recess G in A. The tube 7), is formed through A toconduct an air inflation tube 1, to the air vessel B, which tube reachesabove water to the air pump.

My raiser constructed as described has the inherent advantage ofcheapness in c011- struction, compact in size, by the folding of the airvessel within it and consequently, conveniently portable, so that everyvessel can carry its own means of a resurrection, if sunk by the shot ofan enemy or otherwise, also it can be operated as easily in heavy seas,as in placid water, from the fact that all the apparatus is first sunk,except the pumps and pipes leading thereto, and. is worked when sunk.The whole being operated by one or two men, so that if a vessel be sunkand this apparatus, a boat and two men be saved they can raise thevessel easily without other aid, and in needing nothing more than a longboat above water, rough or smooth; to work the pumps for exhausting therigid portion of the raiser, and filling it, and its air vessel withair, which will raise the sunken vessel. These important advantagesresult from the peculiar construction of the rigid and flexible portionsof the raiser, and their combination with each other in the mannerdescribed.

I construct a portable shoe d of wood and iron in such proportions as tonearly float so that one person can easily adjust and secure it to thevessel under water, the shoe should be made to fit the cutwater,,andstern, or any desired part of the ship.

Those in the drawing are placed against the bow and stern, and fixedthere under water by thumb screw S, Fig. 3, the projections being formedof iron, as seen at J, and a stay plate at J which projects under thevessel to prevent the shoe from sliding up when the cable is put aroundit, under projections J, Figs. 2, and 3, for raising the vessel. Theobject of the shoe is to get a strong hold of the ship, to raise itwithout jamming or injuring it.

\Vhen vessels have been for a long time sunk from shot holes or otherleakage, and embedded in mud, it is necessary to exert all the forcewhich human skill can devise to raise it, and to help eflect this Iconstruct an inflatable stopper of conical shape or otherwise, shown atL, Fig. 10, inflated and in actual use, or of any other desired shape,made of any proper flexible material im pervious to air or water, and ofsuflicient strength. A spring rod M is fixed in the central part, and tothe point of it, to give the desired rigidity to the stopper, so that itmay in the hands of the operator, be

thrust through the leak or openings in the vessel, and then expanded byinflation tube N, as seen at Fig. 10, which fills the leakage, andenlarges both without and within the side of the ship, as seen at 0,Fig. 10, when inflated; then the stop cock Q, is turned after which thehatch may be closed, and the water pumped from the vessel, by tube connecting with water pump in long boat above water. This stopper can beapplied to the leakage holes of sunken vessels, see Fig. 10,

by persons provided with submarine armor,

and be inflated from above water. Then the raisers are sunk (by openingvalve F, by rod f,) on each side of the sunken ship, so that their topswill be just below the halyard plates R, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, so as topress on the under side of them to raise the vessel, then the lower endsof the raisers are secured by cable around the shoe cl, which ispreviously adjusted and secured to the ship as seen in the drawing bythumb screw S, Fig. 3 by a person under water, protected by submarinearmor. Then the valve F, is closed by letting down this valve, by spring9, Figs. 4: and 7 by the wire rope 7", from above water, then the waterpumps are applied from the boat above which discharges all the waterthrough tubes E, &c., when the stop cock is closed in tube E, abovewater, (not shown) the lower end of which is connected to tube 0. Thenthe tube I, leading to the air vessel B, is applied to the air pump inboat above water (not shown), and inflated sufficiently to raise theship to which my raiser is attached.

The raisers may be sunk over the vessel to raise it, as seen in Fig. 2,if any circumstances render it preferable to the method just described,inflatable buoys seen at C, Figs. 2 and 3, and at Figs. 8 and 9, may beconnected to the vessel when raised if desired.

Having thus described my invention I will state my claims as follows.

7 1. I claim the construction, arrangement, and combination of therigid, and elastic inflatable air vessels A, and B, togetherconstituting the raiser when so united, and so small as to beconveniently carried by any vessel which they can raise, essentially inthe manner and for the purposes fully set forth.

2. I also claim the portable shoe d, so constructed of wood and iron, orother material as to be manageable under water, so as to be easilyapplicable to the sunken vessel

